6 Indicators Of Conflict You May Never Know

Value differences. For leaders and followers, they understand value and attach importance to certain factors differently. For instance, many consider greetings with gesticulations very important in some parts of the country whereas it is not so in other parts of Nigeria.

While some individuals attach so much value to age, respect and culture, others prefer to accord respect to youthfulness, knowledge, modernity and what is in vogue.

When individuals with different value priorities hold on to their value propositions, there are bound to be conflict arising from irreconcilable difference.

Partiality or Unfair Preference. This has been a major source of conflict particularly when sharing of resources, offices, positions or favours are involved. The actions of a leader must be balanced, fair and equitable to every team member.

In allocating resources, the principle of fairness must apply. Once it becomes obvious that a party is getting a bigger share of the largess or are better favoured, the other party becomes disgruntled, acrimonious and may decide to fight for their right

Suspicion and lack of trust. When duties and authority are delegated, the leader should allow the follower or team member(s) enough space to use their initiative, rather than suspecting and interrogating every of their moves.

Suspicion and lack of trust always widen the gap of communication, thus allowing distrust and feeling of alienation to brew in a team.

A leader must understand that team members are not perfect. The fact that a mistake or error of judgement was committed in the past does not provide the leader a sufficient reason to be suspicious, distrustful or label some of their subordinates as enemy within.

Lack of self-control. The presence of verbal abuse, aggression, violence and ill-temperance are strong indicators of existing or brewing conflict.

Every team must have a code of behavour that moderates the attitudes and temperament of its members. When this exist and the atmosphere is still rancorous, it’s obvious that conflict exists.

Struggle for power or span of control. Internal wrangling, unhealthy competition and dirty infightings is another strong evidence of the existence of conflict.

Among teams or workplace environment, there will be certain individuals who feel that their span of control or authority are either not enough or are being encroached upon by others.

When this attitude is allowed to fester, it breeds tension, arguments, contention, misunderstanding and disagreement that affects the team spirit.

Vengeful behaviours. These are are behavious like insulting others, throwing tantrums, revenge, verbal attacks, willful destruction of properties, lack of respect, using every opportunity to execute show down, wastefulness, harming others, causing damage to company property, etc

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